Tidewater Orders Four Rolls-Royce Design Offshore Vessels
Rolls-Royce has won an order to provide the design, propulsion systems and deck machinery for four UT 755CDL platform supply vessels, designed specifically for supplying equipment to deepwater oil and gas platforms. The order from Tidewater, with options for a further four identical vessels, is worth over GBP 20 million to Rolls-Royce. The vessels will be built at the Drydocks World shipyard in Indonesia, with delivery scheduled for 2012.
Jeff Platt, Chief Operations Officer of Tidewater Inc. added: “We are very pleased to announce the construction of these UT 755CDL-designed vessels as part of our continued effort to provide our customers with the latest technology in offshore marine assets, capable of operating on a worldwide basis.” Per Kristian Fur, Rolls-Royce, Sales Manager – Ship Technology Offshore, said: “We are extremely proud to continue our strong relationship with Tidewater. Their selection of Rolls-Royce designed vessels demonstrates continued trust in our ability to meet the specific needs of the demanding deep water oil and gas industry.”
The UT 755 CDL is designed specifically for supplying equipment to deepwater oil and gas platforms. The propulsion system used on the Rolls-Royce designed UT 755 CDL will include Rolls-Royce Azipull azimuth thrusters with pulling propellers for increased efficiency. This marks the first time these propulsors have been selected for this particular vessel type. Rolls-Royce will also supply the power electric system, the deck machinery and the high speed diesel generator sets. The vessels will feature a diesel-electric propulsion system that meets current Clean Design standards – an industry-specific range of stringent environmental and safety requirements. The vessel design places a premium on crew comfort and minimising noise and vibration.
Tidewater is the one of the largest provider of ships serving the global offshore oil and gas industry and has a fleet of around 400 vessels.